Puzzling Through Paris: A Thought-Provoking Stroll with Ravensburger
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- čas přidán 15. 06. 2024
- I finally opened up and reviewed my first Ravensburger jigsaw puzzle. Although my overall experience was ok, I was a bit surprised with some of the issues I came across during the completion process. Let me know about your experiences with this brand in the comments!
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0:00 My First Try
0:48 The Puzzle
2:02 First Impressions
2:56 The Plan/Predictions
4:18 Unboxing
7:13 The Sort/Start
8:39 The Negatives
10:54 The Positives
11:58 Final Thoughts
#puzzle #review #timelapse - Zábava
As a puzzle artist I always enjoy how much you appreciate the art and get lost in the images. I finally have a piece licensed through Ravensburger, but its a children's puzzle, so I doubt the 40 pieces would sufficiently challenge you :)
There's nothing better than escaping into the artwork. It's the best feeling.
That is so awesome Chris, congrats!
I find that my Ravensburger puzzles never have a truly tight fit, however, when all put together they hold and can be lifted as a completed unit. Also, I love how crisp the images are. I have never had pixelated images from Ravensburger like other brands have.
I did the pick up test afterwards, and it sure does hold very well together. I was surprised really because the pieces are pretty loose. Overall, I was surprised that it wasn't the greatest overall puzzling experience considering its popularity. But I'm looking forward to trying out my other Ravensburger sets and seeing if they turn out better.
Being from Austria I grew up with Ravensburger. Lots of puzzle dust and no poster is my standard - I almost need that. 🙂
Regarding the fit: I would be heavily surprised if you could not easily pick the completed puzzle up as a whole and carry it around the room. I believe that your problems stem from the fact that you have a puzzle table with non-gliding surface, which could be a little soft like a table cloth. I always build my puzzles on a smooth wooden surface and there the puzzle pieces lie flat.
You won´t have clicking sounds like with Pintoo, though...
I actually did the pick up test afterwards, and I really did hold up! I was surprised really considering how certain sections felt loose at time. The non-gliding surface for sure didn't help when I tried to move it around the table, but compared to other brands I've tried, I never really had that issue (aside from Ceaco). The surface is tight flat on the table and doesn't bunch or anything.
I'm not sure if there really is anything that can compare to Pintoo's clicking sounds...😍
I love Ravensburger puzzle they are my favorite. Very well made good quality.
I do find the quality of the puzzle piece fantastic, just wish my set had a better fit. I for sure plan to try out more Ravensburger sets before I make my final decision as to whether I like them or not. They do carry such a beautiful collection of Disney images that I would probably get anyways even if I decide I don't like the brand 😂
I am currently working on my second Ravensburger puzzle. Deserted department store from the "Abandoned Series" Good puzzle so far.
I had to look up the set you're working, and oh my goodness...what a fantastic and eerie image!
Just found your channel. Youre great with your presentation, reasoning, engaging, everything.
I must say i have a few ravensburgers and i just find there detailing to be exquisite.
Clemontoni are nice puzzles, as are gibson. But yes, your points about click technology were right.
Thanks!
🤗Thank you so much and welcome!
It's funny, I actually have a good number of Ravensburger sets in my collection, but have only tried this set so far. They have such amazing puzzle images. My next attempt will be coming up very soon. I'm hoping to head out of a number of different stores soon and see if I can pick up some more "new to me" brands. I really want to get a Clemontoni as I've heard a lot of good things about them.
@thepuzzledmandy great. I look forward to watching you're future videos and older ones 🙂
I have experienced some fit issues like you said, but it’s honestly been rare. But oh the puzzle dust 🤦♀️. I still love them and will continue doing them though because the great images and quality outweigh the annoying dust!
The images sure are beautiful, especially the Disney ones! I do plan to try more sets so I'm not kicking it in the dust yet 😂. Hopefully my next few tries turn out better.
yes we all are still looking for the perfect brand....I also would like a poster. I do like Ravensburger best for clarity of image. and thickness of the pieces.. and that the 500 pieces are a good size and I can get a 1000 piece in large piece format.. helps us ole folks enjoy it more.... I usually do not have issues with fit and they do the lift challenge.. I enjoy puzzling and do not care how long it takes me.. seems I don't get to puzzle very long without interruptions. I thought of you while watching a new channel Persnickety Puzzler she talked about why she puzzles think her reasons can apply to a lot of us...... I always enjoy your walking thru the image its different and fun..... on to the next one.....
So far, Pintoo seems to be my absolute favorite. To me, a bigger puzzle piece size would've made it perfect. Who knows if a perfect puzzle will ever exist🤞 But yes, I really don't get to puzzle very long either without interruptions...you don't see it thanks to editing 😂 I'll check out that channel you mention!
And, thank you for a really enjoyable video!!!
You are very welcome! Happy you enjoyed it 😁
I can't wait to see what you think!!
I've been doing Ravensburger for all my life. Unfortunately, in my experience, fit is not always perfect. I much prefer Schmidt puzzles now that I'm a grown up woman and can buy myself whatever I want. There's a lot of puzzle dust every time. For me it's a matter of habit rather than some real advantages of the brand.
I feel like they are big because they have been around forever and so well known- I don't think their quality is that great in comparison to so many.
Considering how long you've been doing Ravensburger puzzles, I'll take your word for it. Interesting how such a popular brand can have such inconsistencies with fit. Ceaco used to be the only brand I'd do, but I'm happy that I started branching out to other brands.
My personal take on ravensburger puzzle:
✅ nice cuts and cardboard material.
✅ puzzles are thick enough. front image don't get chipped easily and have resistance to finger oil/sweat.
✅ the box itself is premium.
✅ most of the pieces are unique so false fits are minimal.
✅ the image is matte vibrant meaning less glare indoor.
✅ pieces do hold together so the whole puzzle (1000pc below) can be pick up.
✅ image are highly detailed in each piece. seldom are they pixelated.
❌ pricey compared to other brands.
❌ seldom do they have poster.
❌ soft-click is purely gimmicky.
❌ some of the pieces don't lie flat on flat surface.
➖ puzzle dust but tolerable.
➖ box are bit large compared to the contents inside. it takes more storage space.
➖ no free puzzle glue considering for its price.
➖ not available in select market. only way to get them is through imports or expensive hobby shops.
🔶️ some puzzles are available in large piece format.
🔶️ some of the design choice are ideal/not ideal depending on puzzlers skill. we love puzzle challenge as long as its fun.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on Ravensburger. I really need to get working on more sets to see if I'll think better of it.
I currently have a collection of 57 jigsaw puzzles. 45 of them are Ravensburger and the rest are from Buffalo Games - who are as good as Ravensburger but without the puzzle dust. Quick tip: If you have a large sieve or colander, tip the pieces into it from the bag, give it a few shakes and most of the dust will fall through. 😀
I really do love Buffalo puzzles and have a good collection coming along. It's a great value in terms of quality and price, at least where I live.
I really do need to get a little sieve at the dollar store to take care of puzzle dust.
I recently learned there is a trick to picking up grouped pieces. The trick is to pick tabs on opposite ends of the group and pull to create tension. This tension trick supposedly only works for Ravensburger.
So maybe there isn't a snug fit, but when met with equal tension they lock.
Thank you so much for this tip! I'm definitely going to try this on my next Ravensburger set.
I've had some that crumble and I couldn't pick them up while others seem to hold together really well and I could move sections around with no problems. I love the quality of their puzzles so much that most of my puzzles are from them while the other chunk of puzzles are Buffalo.
This one picked up well. I guess once all the pieces are together, it all just locks in. Moving little sections was really difficult for me, as they would just come apart. My puzzle scoop came in real handy. Buffalo is a fantastic brand!
Love Ravensburger they are my go to, very closely followed by Schmidt and Clementoni. Love your channel 👏
Thank you 😁
I've seen a lot of beautiful Disney puzzles by Schmidt, and I keep meaning to pick some up. I haven't tried Clemontoni either!
I love clementoni puzzles especially the black and white images
@@emmajanewatts4388 Black and white sounds challenging 🤔
@@thepuzzledmandy they can be but I like a challenge, sometimes I fancy something easier and sometimes I like to do really difficult ones
@@emmajanewatts4388 I guess I'm the same as well. It's nice to take a break with an easier puzzle after a really difficult one. Good to have a balance so you don't get so burnt out.
I've worked many Ravensburger puzzles, and I agree with most of what you said.
I've never understood why they don't supply a poster to refer to when the boxes are quite large to have on the table with the puzzle.
I've never opened one without a lot of dust.
I've had mixed experiences as far as the "soft click" pieces go. Some fit so nice and snug, and then I'll have one where not so much.
Why do I have several?
I guess because of the feel of the pieces, and the feel of the finished puzzle, and I've found some pictures I can't resist. I'll tend to work them more than once.
For the price, I think it should have a poster. A larger box I guess is to make up for the fact that it doesn't have one and you need a bigger image for reference. I'm hearing a lot of inconsistency with this brand with everyone's comments, that's unfortunate. I don't blame you for having a number of them even though the quality is not great. I am the same with Ceaco, and it is mostly because of their beautiful pictures and cost.
I do like Ravensburger, not my ultimate favourite. Things I love: they have such an amazing variety of images, it is difficult not to fall in love (love Demelsa Haughton, Lost Places, Star Wars Cockpit) plus the regional collections - like local cities and artists (eg Scandinavian collection, Canadian collection in my case). And I love that their 5000pc puzzles come in one bag and the image fits together well unlike other brands that have quality issues with large piece cuts. The copious amounts of blue dust is the main issue for me - I have a tabletop vacuum for that.
I have to agree on their amazing variety of images. I swear even if I end up not liking Ravensburger in the end, I'd still collect those gorgeous Disney sets 😂. I'll just go about them like I do with Ceaco...complete it for the image🤩. A small vacuum is a must with this brand lol. I need to get me a massive puzzle set though. Ravensburger really do have a ton of multi thousand piece puzzles, but those darn prices are holding me back!
I love the feel of ravensburger and how they click into place. They also stay together and no glare.
I really need to try out another Ravensburger set. Hopefully it won't be as crumby as this puzzle.
I love ravensburgers puzzle from the piece size, piece shapes and the feel of the pieces. My puzzle collection consist of ravensburger, buffalo and eeboo.
I did very much like the piece size and the feel. I do look forward to trying this brand again, so I'm glad I have a few other new sets here to try out when I'm ready. Buffalo is one of my favorite brands!
I only did two of their puzzles and like you I found that the pieces fit loosely and there was no chance of picking up different sections to put them in place?
I also noticed that because of the loose fitting the joints were way too obvious when looking at it from different angles of light.
Then again I am an old newbie at puzzling and my preference is Buffalo and Eurographic puzzles.
Thanks for another amusing and informative video lol. Hope you enjoyed your vacation.
PS: I usually put my puzzles in my spaghetti strainer to get rid of the dust lol.
Happy you enjoyed the video!😁
My puzzle scoop came in real handy in order to pick up small sections to move into place. I had a really big area that needed moving, and it just refused to stay together. I had to move it piece by piece. Hey, spaghetti strainer is a great idea...now I'm hungry😂.
I really do love Buffalo, and I still have to try out my Eurographics set.
Gr8 quality. Good fit even with the puzzle dust. Love them though.
I'm still not 100% sure about my overall thoughts to this brand. I knew I definitely need to try more of them before I make my mind up. They for sure carry such an amazing image selection, especially those Disneys.
I love the Thomas Kincaid also. He was a great artist and known for The Painter of Light as he had a way of making yellows add a realistic glow to his paintings no other artist had!!!!!!
I really enjoy Ravensburger puzzles, for the overall quality and images, as well as variety of images, and in New Zealand here we don't get a lot of the puzzle brands available elsewhere, or not easily anyway. The "soft click" technology promotion is a bit misleading, but the pieces can usually be moved around in small sections but its not a tight fit. Did you try the pick up test? I find Ravensburger usually lock together well once all the pieces are in. Look forward to your next videos!
I actually did the pick up test, and it did hold well together overall. I was surprised really, but you're right it does lock together once its all in. It just didn't stand up to my storage test when I tried to take the sections apart 😭
My first and only experience with Ravensburger was a set of 3x 49 piece puzzles... Which I did very recently... Yeah it was pretty crumbly :( Loved the images, but not enough to keep the puzzle. Donated to my Library Puzzle Swap. I think it reminds me of Cobble Hill, really nice quality pieces but more crumbly than I'd like. I'd try this brand again if I got lucky thrifting.
With this first experience, I've found it hard for me to justify spending over $20 for another set. I've come across so many beautiful images though, but still I hold back. I still have a few more unopened sets in my collection that I really need to try out. Hopefully, they'll be a bit better.
@@thepuzzledmandy can't wait to see you do them! I hope they'll be better too.
I agree with the majority of your review. I thought it was just me.😅 The puzzle dust..smh.. I prefer puzzles by New York Puzzle Co. Can't wait to see what you piece together next!
Honestly, in a way I'm glad I'm not the only one who's expereinced this. But then again, its kind of a bummer that such a popular brand suffers with inconsistencies. Shame really considering how much they cost. I'll put New York Puzzle Co on my list of more sets to look up. I don't have any of those.
I like Ravensburger, but then again, I have liked all the puzzles that I've done! 🤣 As long as it's a puzzle, I love it! ❤️❤️❤️ (But the puzzle dust on Ravensburger puzzles IS quite a lot, so I prefer getting them second hand...)
I have to agree with you. Even if I have a hard time with puzzle quality/experience, I always make the best of it and enjoy putting together any image that transports me somewhere 😁
I love Ravensburger puzzles and have done dozens of them including this one. I have never had problems with fit so maybe it's just this particular one. They are a slightly looser fit so don't stand up to the pick up test which I never do anyway. I also break mine up to store in the boxes and redo.
Surprisingly this one stood up to the pick up test. It did not handle my storage test so I ended up crumbling it up again. But that's ok, I will for sure do this one again! I love this image.
Not a Ravensburger but I started my first puzzle (that I’ve owned) a few days ago! It’s the Hercules Disney 25th anniversary signature puzzle. I found your channel through searching “Disney puzzle” and I love your content so far!
Ooo I know which one you're talking about! I almost picked that one up the last time I was shopping for Disney puzzles. I'm so itching to do another Disney puzzle soon. They've all been staring at me from the shelves, but I've been trying out a lot of different brands lately.
Happy you are enjoying my videos!
@@thepuzzledmandy it’s so fun trying new things! I’ve been thinking about getting a Ravensburger puzzle (the Mother Gothel Villainous) so this was a great video for me. Excited for the next time you decide to do/post a Disney puzzle!
@@KaylaStanfield96 My next go at Ravensburger will definitely be a Villainous puzzle, just deciding which from my collection I'll do. I currently have Evil Queen, Maleficent, and Gaston.
I think you need to do a lot more Ravensburger puzzles before making a final decision on whether you like them or not. Apart from the dust, I am always happy to do a Ravensburger. The likelihood of getting a false fit is very small and I like the matt finish, no glare. They have a wide variety of images and you can usually find ones that you like. Apparently Ravensburger began doing jigsaw puzzles in 1964 so 50 years next year. I wonder if they will celebrate that at all?
I for sure plan to do more sets in order to solidify my opinion on this brand. I have a few more here so I'm looking forward to trying another out. I did like that matte finish too, nice to not deal with a ton of glare issues. I've seen they do carry a ton of beautiful Disney images, so I still plan to pick some more up. For their 50 year celebration, they should sell their puzzles for 50 cents 🤣I'd be all over that🤣
They did celebrate 100 years of making puzzles in 1991. They made their first puzzle in 1891. I do have Ravensburger puzzles from 1965. Real good quality then also. Also have a Schmidt Spiele Disney puzzle from the 60s, and they have always been miles better than Ravensburger, today still. And no puzzle dust. You gotta try them.
@@zimt Yes, Schmidt puzzles are good, I've done quite a few of those. I should have been clearer about the Ravensburger puzzles in that 1964 was when their first cardboard puzzles appeared. 🙂
@@puzzlepiece9509 so my 1965 puzzle of Venice Canale Grande and Hamburg Harbour are some of their first 😀. I inherited them from my dad.
@@zimt Wow, that's wonderful. 👍 Definitely hang on to those. I have a Crown jigsaw puzzle that I had when I was ten called The Italian Lake. As far as I know it was the first adult puzzle that I received.
I’m curious if there is a difference between the traditional ravenberger puzzles like the one you did in this video and the smaller box ones that you can get at Walmart…
I was thinking the same too, especially since there's a price difference. I'm definitely going to have to pick one up and do a comparison.
I, too, have had unsatisfying experiences with Ravensburger puzzles. I love the images and the feel of each piece, but the pieces won't stay together and lay flat. I don't quite understand the hype 🤔.
I must say, my first experience certainly wasn't as great as I was expecting. I still need to try out another puzzle and see if I still feel the same way afterwards.
I’m not a huge fan of ravensburger, I love pomegranate and heye puzzles
Did you get the smell out of the EBay puzzles?
🤣Yes the smell is gone from the puzzles now thankfully!
I definitely want to try more Ravensburger sets before I make my final opinion, but so far I'm not too impressed. I've never heard/tried Pomegranate or Heye...adding it to my list!
Have you reviewed a Galison puzzle... I tried searching your videos and could not find the brand mentioned...
I have heard of Galison, but I have not purchased/tried one just yet! I'm planning to hit up a few stores this Thursday and see what I can find. Not sure if it will actually be a "shop with me" video yet, it depends what stock looks like.
@@thepuzzledmandy that other channel I mentioned Pernickety Puzzler did one and she made that brand sound perfect... I want your review before I order one.... have fun shopping..... as always I enjoy your channel... looking forward to the next one..
@@kathylynn1375 I'll make sure to look for Galison during my shop then👌See you in the next one!
I have a stack of Ravensburger puzzles that is almost as tall as me. Lol
Oh wow, that's a lot! So far I have four sets. They do have a ton of beautiful sets/images, so I still may end up building this collection to a larger one.
@@thepuzzledmandy it wasn’t that big until they came out with the Disney Princess castles collection (the ones with the princess and a view inside their castles). I had to buy all of them. Lol. So that’s about half the stack.
@@MathIsMagical OH MY GOODNESS! I know which ones you're talking about! They are so amazing...I'm jealous 🤣
Personally, I don't like a tight fit because you cannot tell the difference between a true fit and a false fit. You would probably like the Cloudberries puzzles since they have a tight fit.
I’ve heard of Cloudberries, but have yet to pick up a set. Sounds like something I’m going to have to acquire for the new year!
I agree with you on everything you said. In my experience I always get a few damaged pieces where I have to use glue to fix them. My biggest criticism is that the pieces are not flat but kind of "cushiony" so the end image does not photograph/view well, especially with a lighter image, this puzzle is darker so it's not so obvious. For me, Ravensburger puzzles are 6/10 when it comes to quality. The images though are wonderful and I own many. I'm assembling a 500 piece wooden puzzle of theirs and the quality of those is 10/10. Definitely try one of the wooden ones. They are more pricey, but worth it! :)
I get what you're saying with the pieces being "cushiony". Honestly, I expected better, but I still very much enjoyed putting this image together. The do have so many wonderful sets that I almost think that's why they are so popular. I did not know they have a wooden collection. I'll have to look into it!
There are SO many fantastic brands now there is no reason to deal with sub par quality when they aren't a "cheap" brand
For the price, honestly I expected better than a "Ceaco experience". I want to try more sets in order to solidify my overall opinion on this brand.
unless you get them on sale which Amazon does do they are one 0f the more expensive puzzle I don’t like spending more than 20.00 on a puzzle l did splurge on a Disney puzzle it was on sale a little bit but still over 20.00
Yea, I really hesitate to spend more than $20 on a set. You're right though, Amazon do tend to put those on sale. I have to check out that big puzzle store I went to again during their sales. I think it's like buy one get one half off, which I guess is pretty good if you can work it out to be around $16 a puzzle.
The amount of dust is bonkers in their puzzles!!
I was too afraid to dump it all over my table. The beige top would've turned blue!
@@thepuzzledmandy 100% it would have and it's soooo fine
Do you know Ravensburger has a lot of Disney Puzzle, not only Villianious.
Yes, and their Disney sets are absolutely beautiful!!! They have so many collections that I wish I had the money to buy them all and add to my shelves! I would probably need a whole separate room to keep them all displayed🤣.
Beautiful is also their collection 'circle of Colors' . They are round Puzzle with 500 Pieces
Ravensburger 3000 piece Antique world map Please help. Thanks Till next time Kathy E
Oh my goodness...that puzzle looks insanely hard! I've seen that one before and I remember thinking how I probably could never figure out how to even sort it. Every area/section looks the same. Have you started it yet? If so, how far along are you?
Agree- for me they are over-rated. It's a very crumbly brand for me!!
This set was really too crumbly for my liking. Honestly, I was shocked.
@@thepuzzledmandy I was too- I did my first about 6 months ago and have not gone looking for more- I have a lot of other brands with a better price point/hold.
The only good thing about ravensburger is the amazing images, but the quality itself is terrible and the puzzle dust is the worst of any brand. I hate this brand but love the images, my favourite brand is one that barely anybody has heard of called corner piece puzzles and they're amazing and really cheap considering their incredible quality.
I totally agree. Their images are absolutely fantastic, but I was honestly quite surprised that my experience wasn't better. Thanks for letting me know about Corner Piece Puzzles, I'll check them out.
It's "ravens" like the bird
I'm pretty sure its wrong to pronounce it "ravens" like the bird. I used to say it like that, but I've been learning German, and watch a German CZcamsr who pronounces it the way I do in the video. The sound of "a" is different in that language, unless it has two little dots on top of it.
@@thepuzzledmandyyou are correct. The people who work for the company pronounce it like you and they would know. Haha.
#confidentlyincorrect lol
I finally did and finished Alice in wonderland ravensburger .puzzle it turned out really nice the only problem is not all the pieces are tight and because the pieces are smaller they take me longer than springbok or white mountain since there pieces are bigger. I was really tired of the ravensburger puzzles I guess i am slow at puzzles because this one probably took me 20 hours or so. Unfortunately springbok I must admit are not as good as they use to be don’t fit as tightly as they use to my older springbok some are 15 years or more mostly 500 really stay together well. I think my last puzzle I did from white mountain ok. Hope white mountain and springbok start putting posters in there puzzles. I am not sure about white mountain some of there newer puzzles may have them. I think putting posters in puzzles is a new thing and the brands that have been around a long time need to catch up. Looking forward to your next video. Say hi to your daughter I love the videos she has been in she looks like a happy child.
Happy that you finished Alice in Wonderland, but wow, your pieces were not tight too. Seems to be a lot of inconsistencies with Ravensburger, which is surprising considering the cost and popularity. I do want to try out more sets before I make my final decision as to whether I like them or not. So far, it's not looking too good 😒 But knowing me, like Ceaco, I'll collect them just for the beautiful Disney sets they carry lol. I do have my Springbok and White Mountain puzzles here, and I can't wait to open them up. I'll be reviewing those soon of course!
My daughter gets excited to be in my videos, and likes to read what everyone is commenting about (She says hi!) lol, I will most likely always have my little buddy with me on shopping trips❤️